The Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah43: 1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8: 14-17; Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22
The beginning of Jesus’ public ministry is marked by his Baptism. Two of the Gospels talk about the birth of Jesus, but all four speak about his baptism by John in the Jordan River. That says something about how important this event was. This event marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. That is the event we are celebrating today.
We celebrated the feast of the Epiphany last week, and we remembered the visitation of the Magi to the child Jesus, and their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is a kind of revealing of who Jesus is. These people who aren’t Jewish, come and kneel before this child. It is symbolic of the nations recognizing Jesus as king.
Technically speaking, Epiphany is a feast day and not a season, but the readings can lean towards us thinking about this as a season too. The baptism of Jesus is a kind of revealing.
The English word "Epiphany" comes from a Greek word that has the implication of "appearing", "revealing", or “manifestation”. (It’s quite close to the Greek word that gives us the word “apocalypse”, which is what the last book of the Bible is called in Greek, and in English we translate that word as “Revelation”- its revealing what was hidden.)
When we suddenly realize something, we say we have had an “epiphany”. We see something we didn’t see before. So, while (technically) Epiphany is a feast day, the readings during this “season after Epiphany” focus on ‘revealing’. In particular, the readings are about God breaking into the world through Jesus. It is a season where Jesus is revealed as the Messiah and God’s Son, and God the Son …
At the beginning of our reading, we see the people were
“filled with expectation” and“all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah” (Lk 3:15).
John responds to this by saying that he isn’t the one. He says,
“‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
John’s baptism is pointing to another baptism that is about more than water. St. Ambrose says that John’s baptism is
“a type of the law, because the law could denounce sin, but not pardon it”.[1]
John’s baptism is for repentance- it is a preparation for what is about to come. John’s baptism doesn’t have the power to deal with the problem.
The baptism that the Messiah will offer will be to immerse the people in God, in the Holy Spirit. And also fire, which can represent both judgement and purification.
John is soon removed from the public stage by being placed in prison because John accuses the ruler Herod Antipas (the son of Herod the Great) of unlawfully being with his brother’s wife (among other things).
There's a lot going on politically during John's ministry. This is how NT Wright paints the political picture at the time.
John is soon removed from the public stage by being placed in prison because John accuses the ruler Herod Antipas (the son of Herod the Great) of unlawfully being with his brother’s wife (among other things).
There's a lot going on politically during John's ministry. This is how NT Wright paints the political picture at the time.
“Rome had ruled the area for about 100 years, but only since 6AD had there been a Roman governor resident in the area, living in Cesaria but also keeping a base in Jerusalem. Augustus Caesar the first Emperor had died in 14AD, and his place had been taken by the ruthless Tiberius, who was already being worshipped as a god in the eastern parts of the empire. Two of Herod the Great’s sons, Herod Antipas and Philip, were ruling somewhat shakily, under Roman permission, in the north of the country, but Rome had taken direct control of the South, including Jerusalem itself. Most Jews didn't regard Herod's sons as real rulers; they were a self-made royal house, ruling, like Rome, by fear and oppression. The high priests weren't much better. popular movements of resistance had come and gone, in some cases being brutally put down.” [2]
This is a very unstable time.
John’s imprisonment foreshadows the danger Jesus would soon face in his own ministry. So, in the midst of the story of Jesus’ baptism, we have a foreshadowing of political danger.
Before John is imprisoned, however, Jesus joins the crowds that are being baptized by John. Jesus identifies with the crowd- The mass of humanity that is dealing with the twisted knots and dead-ends of the complexity of sin. … The mass of humanity that is dealing with this mess is coming to John for baptism, to repent of it, to be washed and prepared for God, … and Jesus comes with them, identifying with them, as one of them. He identifies with those who are struggling with a world infected by sin. He is not a sinner, but he identifies with us in our sin, and (in a way) accepts the consequences that humanity inherits, … but he also begins to administer the cure.
Jesus is to become who Israel was meant to be, to be a force for good and healing in the messy and sin-sick world. He is the embodiment of the true Israel. He will do what Israel was called to do, but failed to do. As the family of Abraham, Israel was meant to be a blessing to all the families of the world (Gen 12:3). Israel was meant to be the hope for humanity, to be the light of the world, to be a nation of priests to the nations. Jesus is walking the path of Israel through the Jordan River as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Jesus will withstand the temptations in the wilderness. He will succeed where Israel failed. He will always be faithful, and he will always resist evil. Jesus will enter back into society with his mission to recreate Israel- choosing 12 new tribal elders. He will be the new Moses, and will teach them not just the Law, but the very heart of the law. And he will perfect and complete sacrifice by being both the perfect mediating priest, and by being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. … God’s design is getting put back on course through Jesus.
John’s imprisonment foreshadows the danger Jesus would soon face in his own ministry. So, in the midst of the story of Jesus’ baptism, we have a foreshadowing of political danger.
Before John is imprisoned, however, Jesus joins the crowds that are being baptized by John. Jesus identifies with the crowd- The mass of humanity that is dealing with the twisted knots and dead-ends of the complexity of sin. … The mass of humanity that is dealing with this mess is coming to John for baptism, to repent of it, to be washed and prepared for God, … and Jesus comes with them, identifying with them, as one of them. He identifies with those who are struggling with a world infected by sin. He is not a sinner, but he identifies with us in our sin, and (in a way) accepts the consequences that humanity inherits, … but he also begins to administer the cure.
Jesus is to become who Israel was meant to be, to be a force for good and healing in the messy and sin-sick world. He is the embodiment of the true Israel. He will do what Israel was called to do, but failed to do. As the family of Abraham, Israel was meant to be a blessing to all the families of the world (Gen 12:3). Israel was meant to be the hope for humanity, to be the light of the world, to be a nation of priests to the nations. Jesus is walking the path of Israel through the Jordan River as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Jesus will withstand the temptations in the wilderness. He will succeed where Israel failed. He will always be faithful, and he will always resist evil. Jesus will enter back into society with his mission to recreate Israel- choosing 12 new tribal elders. He will be the new Moses, and will teach them not just the Law, but the very heart of the law. And he will perfect and complete sacrifice by being both the perfect mediating priest, and by being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. … God’s design is getting put back on course through Jesus.
Returning to the event of Jesus’ baptism, we see that, while Jesus is praying, he sees heaven opened and
“the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’” (Lk 3:22).
Which refers back to Psalm 2:7-
“You are my son; today I have begotten you”,
which may have been used as a part of the coronation ceremony of Israel’s king. It is an signal that he is the Messiah- this anointing by the Holy Spirit, was his anointing as the awaited Messianic king.
A number of the early commentators here see, not only the revealing of the Son as the Messiah, but also the revealing of the Trinity. The baptismal formula Jesus gave his followers to use when baptizing those who would become disciples is a Trinitarian formula- They were to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28). And that same Trinity is seen in his own baptism. These commentators saw the voice of the Father, the Son in the water, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.
Some of these early commentators also saw the dove as pointing to the dove from the Noah story, which returned with the olive branch to show that the flood was over, and that new life was once again growing. The dove was a sign of a new beginning. And in Christ, that is what is happening. In Christ we will receive a new covenant and an opportunity for peace with God.
Epiphany is a time of revealing. We see Jesus revealed, and we get glimpses of who he really is. And the good news is that we see, revealed in Jesus, a new beginning for us. Jesus leads us into a new covenant. In our baptism, we are baptized into his life, so we can draw strength from him and what he has done as we lead our own life. He represents us in those waters as our King, as our Messiah, and he invites us to share in his victory as citizens of his kingdom. AMEN.
A number of the early commentators here see, not only the revealing of the Son as the Messiah, but also the revealing of the Trinity. The baptismal formula Jesus gave his followers to use when baptizing those who would become disciples is a Trinitarian formula- They were to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28). And that same Trinity is seen in his own baptism. These commentators saw the voice of the Father, the Son in the water, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.
Some of these early commentators also saw the dove as pointing to the dove from the Noah story, which returned with the olive branch to show that the flood was over, and that new life was once again growing. The dove was a sign of a new beginning. And in Christ, that is what is happening. In Christ we will receive a new covenant and an opportunity for peace with God.
Epiphany is a time of revealing. We see Jesus revealed, and we get glimpses of who he really is. And the good news is that we see, revealed in Jesus, a new beginning for us. Jesus leads us into a new covenant. In our baptism, we are baptized into his life, so we can draw strength from him and what he has done as we lead our own life. He represents us in those waters as our King, as our Messiah, and he invites us to share in his victory as citizens of his kingdom. AMEN.
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